Rachel awoke in strange surroundings. Her first thought was panic as she saw a mind numbing array of medical instruments and steadily clicking machines around her. For a split second she was back at Alkali Base, her body being poked, prodded, and invaded by monsters wearing clean white lab coats trying to get at her baby.

Gracie...

Her head felt full of cotton as she tried to push through the dull throbbing, trying to get herself alert. The more alert she became, the more aware she was that this couldn't be Alkali. It was too clean, too nice. She felt the weight of a light blanket on her bare legs. She had never been offered a blanket in that place. No, this couldn't be Alkali...

"Welcome, back..." That voice was familiar. Fatherly and commanding at the same time. She knew she should know that voice. Turning her head, she found herself looking at a smiling Professor Xavier. "You've been out for some time now."

The first question she tried to formulate wasn't where was she or what happened. The very first question she needed answered was, 'Where is Blue?' Then, she felt a unique three fingered hand in hers that answered her question. Kurt was right beside her. Of course. Where else would he be?

She turned to him and smiled a little, so grateful he was near. In turn, he squeezed her hand and gave quiet assurances that she was going to be fine.

"What happened?" She whispered. The last thing she remembered was being in her apartment with a terrible, blinding pain setting her brain on fire.

"That is what we're trying to figure out." Hank answered, helping her sit up. The room spun around several times before she finally got her bearings. He asked her all the standard questions. One by one he ruled out illness, infection and injury.

Looking down, Rachel blushed. She pulled the pale blue blanket tighter around her, as she realized she was still clad in only Kurt's shirt.

She hoped some of her clothes were still packed up around the mansion. "Kurt, I don't suppose I have any clothes somewhere do I?" she whispered to the blue mutant's ear, noticing he was only wearing pajama bottoms.

Dear God, they'd never live this down.

Before Kurt could reply, there was an answer from the doorway. "No need. Had your car towed here. Your luggage was still in the trunk." She peeked around Hank's bulk to see Logan leaning in the doorway, a suitcase in his hand. With a curious frown she started to ask why it had been brought here. Then, seeing the scowl on his face, she decided Logan was NOT the person to ask about her car. In fact, he was probably NOT the person to ask about anything...

Logan dropped the bag on the floor beside her with a thump. He wasn't wild about her being here. But Kurt was his friend. He'd do a lot for his friends. Even endure their crazy ex-wives...up to a point. However, he'd endure this one from a distance as he stalked back out the door and back up to the main levels.

"Thank you..." she mumbled to the beserker's disappearing backside, blanket wrapped around her, trying to work her way off the table without flashing nearly every single male member of the team. Thank God, at least she was wearing underwear!

As her feet touched the floor, that terrifying throb began in her temples again. Immediately, she turned loose of the blanket and brought her hands up to her head, trying to squeeze the pain out. Her legs buckled beneath her as she crumbled to her knees, Hank grabbed her up, practically tossing her back on the table. His gaze was concerned. Xavier's gaze was alarmed. Kurt was outright panicked.

With surprising agility, she rolled off the other side of the table and scrambled away, pushing past Kurt as he tried to halt her.

"I have to l-leave..." she managed through clenched teeth, still holding her head. "I have to...to..." Her apartment. She had to get back to her apartment. Her medicine was at her apartment. The pain would stop once she back there. She became completely fixated on that one thought.

"Rachel-" Kurt pulled her up short as she stumbled towards the door, disoriented and almost hysterical.

She turned towards him, balling her fists up and beating Kurt's bare chest. "Take me back!!" she demanded, practically shrieking in anger.

In defense, he easily grabbed her fists in his hands and held them tight. "Rachel!" He spoke in an authoritative tone he rarely used. "You are ill and you are not going anywhere!" His harsh tone made her stop short and brought her eyes up to meet his. "Now, get back on the exam table and let Doktor McCoy help you!"

Her demeanor turned from anger to desperation. "Please, Kurt! Please...I have to go..." Her eyes started to roll back in her head. "I..." and her head lolled backwards as another seizure came on.

Kurt slid to the floor with her to cushion her fall. She hardly heard him screaming her name.

"Step back."

Xavier was such a powerful presence, that Hank could not think of a single time the man had ever had to raise his voice. Without a word of dissent, the much larger mutant stepped aside. Kurt stayed as he was on the floor, holding his wife tight as she jerked and spasmed in his arms. His tail lashed the floor in panic.

By now, Rachel was convulsing again, even worse than before. She had to get home. Her medicine was at home. But as the pain escalated, she was unable to speak, unable to even think. She couldn't make them understand that she didn't have a choice. She had to obey...

Then, she felt a presence inside her mind. The pain and convulsions receded, fleeing from the calm warmth that flooded into her, just as darkness flees from light. Drowsiness overcame her. The last clear thought she had was Kurt picking her up and laying her back on the exam table. She felt him take her hand again and squeeze it as she faded into slumber.


"Well, Hell if I know, Tracy!!" Daniel scrunched up the bridge of his nose and rubbed it with his fingertips as Rachel's assistant chattered like an anxious magpie on the other end of the phone. Rachel had a conference call at this morning with the branch in Hong Kong. Not only did she not make the call, she wasn't answering her cell or her home phone. When Daniel suggested she try Rachel's dedicated frequency line, the one she had used the night before, Tracy was down right mystified. She insisted Rachel had refused such a thing.

"Yes, I do realize when it's 8:00 am here, it's 9:00 pm there." Daniel bit his tongue to keep from saying what he really wanted to say. "Yes, I'm sure they were very upset that she wasn't there...No, I don't think they don't blame you personally..."

Rory couldn't help but chuckle as Daniel rolled his eyes to the heavens. He could barely get a word in edgewise as Tracy fussed and fumed and retold the story, yet again, of how she'd had to make up excuses for why their boss blew off the conference.

Daniel nodded and held out his coffee cup as his partner silently offered to refill it. Setting the coffee pot down, Rory went back to the living room and back to the job of wrapping presents. The room was in a rare clutter as wrapping paper, ribbon, and gifts lay scattered on every available surface. As he cut a length of red and gold paper, he couldn't help being a little down hearted. He made the mistake of getting his hopes up this time. He really thought they'd be celebrating Christmas as a family this year. The last minute rejection by the baby's birth mother had devastated him. He sat down his scissors and let his mind drift back to the conversation he'd had with Rachel.

What about a mutant?

He actually knew very little about mutants, other than they were even more ostracized than homosexuals. But Rachel's uncle Joe had been determined to fight for them. And, Rachel had taken up his banner after his murder. She'd hired Daniel on permanent retainer to be her blood hound. But that role expanded to include nanny and body guard. He accompanied her everywhere she went. Even more so than her PA. Under different circumstances, Rory would have been jealous. After all, the two did have a long friendship that flirted with romance once upon a time. But - he couldn't help but smile - Danny was as loyal as they came. So much so that he pushed his own feelings about mutants aside to help Rachel. Daniel disliked mutants. Or maybe he was just frightened of them? Either way, Rory doubted his partner could ever accept a baby with an X-gene. He could never be the parent of a mutant. Fastening the glittering foil paper with a touch of invisible tape, he leaned his ear up to hear Daniel still trying to get off the phone.

Rory wondered if he'd be invited to go to Hong Kong. Often he was included on these trips. Even when he sat Rachel down and explained to her that he was NOT jealous, on any level, of amount of time she and Daniel spent together. Rachel had only smiled enigmatically and said she knew what it felt like to be the one left behind to sit and wait. Even Daniel didn't know what she had meant by that.

The very first trip Rory had gone on was a short jaunt to Washington DC shortly after Daniel had gone to work for Rachel. A bill had been introduced to Congress to pass the Mutant Registration Act in a new reincarnation. The bill was to approve funding for prenatal testing for the mysterious X-gene. Rachel had used all Donivan Enterprise's clout to arrange a closed-door panel meeting with the key committee members.

She did not offer up arguments on moral obligations or the slippery slope they were going down as had been the practice of every other mutant rights advocate. Instead, once Rachel was seated at the enormous, lavish table she turned and asked the two of them to please give her five minutes alone with these self righteous S.O.B.'s. Amongst the insulted murmuring of the committee members, Daniel whispered something in her ear, obviously reluctant to leave her. Rachel smiled and patted his hand comfortingly. When they came back, five minutes later, they came back to a changed panel. The smug arrogance and moral superiority were gone. They were replaced by emotions ranging from anger to downright terror. He couldn't help but wonder what Rachel had managed to say in five minutes that had such an impact on these professional politicians. But the bill failed and was quietly tucked away. It went from being the next big story to being a tiny blurb buried in the newspaper. Then it was forgotten all together. But Rachel was not forgotten. She had made powerful enemies that day.

He was shaken from his thoughts as a disgruntled Daniel came shrugging in into the room. "Rachel is MIA again..." He sighed.

Shrugging, Rory grinned a little. "Maybe she's just sleeping in?" He pulled the adhesive strip off the back of a foil bow and carefully attached it to the newly wrapped present. "That German with her was a cutie! Maybe she had slumber party..."

Daniel gave Rory a kiss. "Thanks Rory, but I could do without that image in my head." he teased, setting his cup down on the only clear spot on the coffee table. "Now," he held up the newly wrapped gift, shifting the conversation and trying to keep his worry from getting the better of him, "who is this for?"


He was tired of waiting. If she'd been able to get back here, she'd be here by now. Reluctantly, he disengaged her neural subprograms. Hurting her further was pointless right now. He hated having to use this device at all. It hurt him to see her writhe in pain when she disobeyed him.

Why do you make me hurt you?

He sighed. In time, she'd understand that this was for the best. That he was making a better life for her, for them both. But, right now, he had other problems to contend with. She had been taken in by the Freak Squad again.

The gold Audi sat waiting for its master to claim it. He fantasized about wearing Nightcrawler's pelt as a jacket, as he made his way to the unheated garage. Actually, he was fantasizing about the musical screams he would elicit from the blue furred demon as he flayed him alive – then turned his velvety, dark blue fur into a coat.

If he couldn't get Rachel to come back here on her own, he just have to dangle a carrot out for her. A spade-tailed, pointed-eared, too-freakish-for-words carrot. Stryker had used Rachel to get Nightcrawler. He'd use Nightcrawler to get Rachel. Feeling better, he started humming a little tune as he popped the hood of the car and got a little surprise ready.


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